Kids Count Study Shows Recession Has Been Tough On Tennessee Children

State health and welfare officials have released the latest annual Kids Count study for Tennessee. Linda O’Neal, Executive Director of the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, says the data show the recession has had a significant impact on the state’s children. One in four Tennessee children now live in poverty and one in three rely on food stamps for adequate nutrition. The report also found that 47% of Tennessee children qualify for free and reduced-price school lunches and less than a third of teens from poor families are finding employment. There was some good news in this year’s report: the number of teen mothers giving birth continues to decline... but the report also found that almost half of pregnant women in Tennessee don’t get adequate prenatal care.